New car reviews

2014 Toyota Highlander CUV

Toyota Highlander CUV brings new style and more cushy gear

Bob Plunkett, Thu, 15 May 2014 05:00:19 PDT

MONTECITO, Calif. -- Spinning off the Pacific Coast Highway near Santa Barbara, Hot Springs Road meanders into the ritzy seaside enclave of Montecito, where the hedge-shrouded estates of media stars and uber-rich business moguls appraise at $20 million and more.

So we're driving up Hot Springs Road past the mega-bucks Montecito mansions in a luxurious new Highlander, Toyota's mid-size crossover utility vehicle which looks elegant and expensive and produces the silky-smooth ride quality of a millionaire's cushy limousine.

The new rendition of Highlander, while providing a luxury-lined passenger compartment with seats for seven or eight riders plus a rear bay for cargo and rails on the roof for additional gear, also behaves like a curve-craving sporty sedan and -- with optional all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction -- a trail-trekking SUV.

The revamped Highlander of 2014 measures longer, wider and lower than predecessor versions. It wears a new chiseled exterior shell and gains more cabin refinements for comfort and convenience. Toyota constructs the 2014 Highlander CUV in three grades -- entry-level LE, mid-level XLE and fully-loaded Limited -- with choices for front-wheel-drive (FWD) or AWD traction.

Highlander's structure is a unitized framework derived from a sedan oriented with FWD format, plus car-like mechanical components. With a long wheelbase and squatty stance, the design sets up a people-friendly interior environment that's as easy to enter as a passenger car, meaning you don't have to hike yourself aboard as with taller SUV wagons.

A spacious cabin carries four doors for passengers and flexible seating on three rows plus cargo space in a back bay with liftgate added.

Highlander's cabin contains luxurious appointments which position the vehicle closer to the realm of Lexus, Toyota's elite upscale line.

Toyota's aluminum 3.5-liter V6 engine becomes the power upgrade for all other Highlander trims. It zips with 270 hp at 6200 rpm and the torque pushing to 248 lb-ft at 4700 rpm.

For optional AWD traction, Toyota's electronically controlled system switches continuously and automatically between FWD and AWD for sure-footed traction. It can distribute the engine torque equally 50/50 between the front and rear wheels for slow-go momentum in dicey situations, as well as apply extra electronic help from the standard dynamic torque control (DTC), hill-start assist control (HAC) or downhill assist control (DAC) devices.